Relations
between us (Russia and America) have passed through different stages. We stood against each other
during the cold war. But we were also allies once, and defeated the Nazis
together. The universal international organization — the United Nations — was
then established to prevent such devastation from ever happening again.

The
United Nations’ founders understood that decisions affecting war and peace
should happen only by consensus, and with America’s consent the veto by
Security Council permanent members was enshrined in the United Nations Charter.
The profound wisdom of this has underpinned the stability of international
relations for decades.

We
need to use the United Nations Security Council and believe that preserving law
and order in today’s complex and turbulent world is one of the few ways to keep
international relations from sliding into chaos.

The law is still the law, and
we must follow it whether we like it or not. Under current international law,
force is permitted only in self-defense or by the decision of the Security
Council. Anything else is unacceptable under the United Nations Charter and
would constitute an act of aggression.

No
matter how targeted the strikes or how sophisticated the weapons, civilian
casualties are inevitable, including the elderly and children, whom the strikes
are meant to protect.

We
must stop using the language of force and return to the path of civilized
diplomatic and political settlement.

There
are big countries and small countries, rich and poor, those with long
democratic traditions and those still finding their way to democracy. Their
policies differ, too. We are all different, but when we ask for the Lord’s
blessings, we must not forget that God created us equal.